David Corenswet's new costume for Superman has proved not to be quite the slam-dunk it could have been for DC's new DCU franchise. Even filtering out the bad-faith takes designed to monetize hatred (you know the ones), both the first Superman costume reveal, and subsequent set photos have brought some complaints.

I think it's a good-looking costume, all told, with the right blend of modernism and classic design elements - a balance James Gunn seems to be channeling in all of Superman's aesthetic. But even my generally positive outlook on the costume can't quite silence one issue that has come up elsewhere: that his suit simply doesn't feel like it belongs to an alien on Earth. And that got me thinking why that was a problem in the first place.

David Corenswet's Superman Costume Doesn't Look Alien

In comparison to Henry Cavill’s Superman costume in the DCEU, David Corenswet’s feels a lot more like a uniform. In that respect, some fan criticisms do have a point: though, as always, that has become twisted by hyperbole into accusations that Superman is just a guy wearing a costume. That much is understandable given Superman’s costume is arguably the most important in comic book movies (alongside the Batsuit, of course).

Comic book movies - and particularly those made by Marvel Studios - have spent years attempting to downplay the symbolism of costumes. They are functional; armors or disguises, rather than expressions of extraordinariness. Thor’s first meeting with the Avengers led to a joke about his cape from a guy in a robot suit. X-Men adaptations have made multiple jokes about how silly Wolverine’s costume is, instead of just putting him in it and not worrying about why you need to explain it.

DC is different in that respect, because the Batsuit is a symbol of fear, and one of the most interesting things Zack Snyder did for Superman was to introduce the idea of the suit being tied to Kal-El’s costume. He steps into his role as a symbol of hope - a role that predates him because the suit is something already waiting for him. As such, it being alien and reflecting Kryptonian culture makes a lot of sense. It’s also become a genie you simply can’t get back into the bottle.

So when David Corenswet’s Superman outfit looks more like a costume, functionally designed and inspired by military costumes, people get mad. Particularly the people who loved Snyder’s take and the idea of the costume meaning a lot more than clothes. I’m inclined to feel there’s something to that criticism, at the surface level at least.

Henry Cavill's Superman Look Was More Of An Expression Of Identity

It’s fair to say that the idea of Superman’s costume being revealed to him as a symbolic invitation to realize his fate was powerful. Hollywood, after all, has a fetish for The Chosen One trope, and Kal-El taking up the uniform of his doomed ancestors is poetic. It also reinforces the idea of him as both the end and the future of his bloodline, which Man Of Steel made a plot thread very consciously.

That undercurrent meant that Man of Steel’s Superman costume was also very consciously designed to look alien. The foam and shiny chrome finish were supposed to stand out against the drab backdrop of Snyder’s Earth. That was all intentional design, even if some people still can’t see past the duller colors of Clark’s suit. Ignoring the contrast is willful blindness to an artistic choice.

When Clark put on his Kryptonian suit from the scout ship, he was taking up his destiny, but he was also reconnecting with the other half of his identity. His alien side, which was also a very purposeful part of Man of Steel’s plot. It was a movie about invasion anxiety and the threat Superman poses to Earth. He had to look like an outsider, like he didn’t belong. There is very much the sense already that David Corenswet’s Superman is different in that very specific way.

Good News, I Think Superman’s "Military Look" Makes Sense

Unless you’ve been willfully ignoring everything James Gunn has been saying about Superman, you already know that this Superman is part of a universe where superheroes are established. They are, without negative connotations, old news. When Superman is shown pulling on his boots with whatever is in the sky over Metropolis in that first reveal, he's not disinterested for the reason people think: it's just ordinary to him.

Gunn is creating a world where that sort of phenomena is everyday, so he just puts his boots on without too much ceremony. Because his costume IS a uniform rather than an expression of identity the same way Cavill's was. There is obviously symbolism inherent to it, but the important symbolism is the act of choosing to take up heroism proactively, not to be fated. His costume doesn't matter as much as why he's wearing it.

Some may not like that it follows the MCU costume trends of looking military, with lines adding realistic protection zones, but it's simply not an issue to me. It is a choice, certainly, but I have faith in Superman's direction, and Superman not looking as extraordinary or alien suggests a storyline we've not seen in Superman movies before. Origin, symbolism, and reverence have all been done: I'm more interested in a world where Gods and humans (and monsters) live side-by-side in a different harmony.